ExpressVPN not working with The CW? Try these EASY fixes! (September 2023)

If you’ve been using ExpressVPN to watch The CW outside the US and it’s not working, The CW has managed to block all the IP addresses ExpressVPN currently has available. 

This has happened because the measures ExpressVPN has in place to prevent this from happening, are no longer working.

From here you have two options, you can wait for ExpressVpn to fix the issue, however there’s no guarantee that it will fix the problem, or you can try and fix the issue yourself so you can get back to watching your favourite The CW shows as soon as possible.

This article will explain how you can fix ExpressVPN not working with The CW and if you read to the end you can find out how to prevent these issues from happening again in the future.

See also:

• How to watch The CW outside the US: It ONLY takes 2-minutes! (September 2023)
• How to watch Riverdale Season 7 outside the US: EARLIER than Netflix | Same day as the US (September 2023)

ExpressVPN not working with The CW: Fixes

Why has ExpressVPN suddenly stopped working with The CW?

The reason ExpressVPN is no longer working with The CW is because all of its current IP addresses have been blacklisted by the streaming service.

The CW does not have the rights to broadcast its content worldwide. For this reason, The CW tries to prevent users outside countries where it’s available – the US – from accessing its content. 

If The CW doesn’t attempt to block customers outside the US, it could potentially run into copyright and licensing issues. 

Because ExpressVPN is a well-known way to spoof your IP address and watch The CW outside of the US, it could be the reason for The CW being financially punished for breathing these copyright and licensing agreements.

To prevent this from happening The CW tries to identify and block ExpressVPN connections. 

How does The CW block ExpressVPN?

The main way The CW blocks ExpressVPN is by monitoring the IP addresses that connect to its service.

Like all VPNs, ExpressVPN has more customers than IP addresses. VPNs need this in order to work as a business. However, this business model has a problem in that it forces customers to share IP addresses.

The CW knows this and uses it to its advantage. When The CW notices a large number of connections coming from the same IP, it knows that that is an IP that ExpressVPN has provided, and it blocks it. 

It knows this because usually only a household of devices usually connects to The CW via the same IP address. If more than 8 or 10 devices connect to The CW via the same IP, it’s obviously a VPN IP address.

This isn’t specific to ExpressVPN, this happens to all VPNs. However some VPNs have measures in place to get around this. ExpressVPN usually works well with The CW however if you’re running into errors, the measures it has in place to ensure it works reliably with The CW are no longer working.

Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) has measures that are currently working to get around The CWs blocks. 

Does The CW still work with VPNs?

Yes, The CW will still work with a VPN, but you need to use a VPN that has IP addresses that are still compatible with the service. Compatible means you need a VPN that hasn’t had all of its IP addresses blocked by The CW.

You can either wait for ExpressVPN to release more IP addresses that haven’t been blocked by The CW; however, you may run into this error again. Or to fix the problem, you could upgrade to a VPN that plays a game of cat and mouse with The CW. To properly fix the issue you need a VPN like Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)

When The CW identifies and blocks an IP provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) this VPN will close that IP and open a new one. This allows you to watch The CW from anywhere in the world reliably, and it will help to prevent the errors you’ve run into from happening again.

The best VPNs for The CW

1. Private Internet Access 🥇

The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!

Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.

This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.

If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.

From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).

2. NordVPN 🥈

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.

It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.

Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.

3. Ivacy 🥉

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.

This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.

The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.

For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.

4. CyberGhost

A very quick and trustworthy VPN

Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes

CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.

From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.

That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.

Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.